Arden's Hands are Growing
Yesterday morning I entered Arden's room about an hour before her alarm was scheduled to sound. Her DexCom G4 was asking to be calibrated and so I put a test strip into the OmniPod PDM, turned the MultiClix to a new lance and took my daughter's hand in mine.
As I was choosing a finger to strike a hole into, I noticed that her hand felt heavier then it did the last time that I held it to test. I was certain that it hadn't grown bigger since the day before, but yet it felt unmistakably heavier. I sat on her bedside as the machine did it's job and found myself feeling lucky that I have these moments with my sleeping girl. Not too many people get to do this I thought. I get to hold Arden's hand almost every evening after she has fallen to sleep and those moments give me a different perspective on her growth and allow me precious time to gaze at her growing face.
So if you are in need of a silver lining today, maybe this thought could be one for you. We get to hold our kid's hands while they sleep.
Oklahoma Tornado
Paul Hellstern - Oklahoma APLast night this photo of two teachers leading children to safety brought tears to my eyes and sent me racing to my computer to make a donation to the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army.
Today, I've preempted my blog piece about delivering insulin in difficult carb counting situations to pass on information on how you can send relief to the people whose lives where destroyed in yesterday's tornado. I encourage you to make a donation of any size if you are able and please make your friends, both online and IRL, aware of how easy it is to send help.
American Red Cross
Text REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10 to American Red Cross Disaster Relief, donate online, or donate by phone at 1-800-RED CROSS.
Salvation Army
Text STORM to 80888 to contribute $10 to the Salvation Army's relief efforts or make a donation by phone at 1-800-SAL-ARMY. If you're sending a check make sure you put the words "Oklahoma Tornado Relief" on the check, and mail it to: The Salvation Army, P.O. Box 12600, Oklahoma City, OK., 73157. Online donations are accepted here.
Diabetes Forecast Magazine
Keep your eyes open for an interview with me in the upcoming June issue of Diabetes Forecast Magazine. I'll be featured in an article titled, "Fathers Know Best".
The issue is beginning to arrive in subscribers mailboxes... It is such a great honor to be interviewed for this amazing publication!
What Diabetes Blog Week Means to Me
Last night after Arden's softball game she and I took a walk to the water ice truck to get Arden a cold treat. At the same time, Cole was two towns away getting ready to play in a baseball game. Arden and I were rushing a little bit so that we wouldn't miss too much of Cole's game. As we made our way back to my car I stranger stopped me. She reached out her hand sheepishly and said, "Hi, you don't know me but I know you" and then she introduced herself. She continued, "I read your book and I wanted to tell you...". The rest of what the stranger said was wonderful to hear. She loved the book and made some touching comments about my writing.
About an hour later Arden asked if she could get something from the snack stand, we were now a considerable way from home and on a different baseball field, watching Cole play. When Arden returned from the stand she gave me my change and told me, "The woman at the stand asked me if my name was Arden, when I said yes she said that she loves your blog and reads it every morning". Arden went on to tell me that the nice woman (Hi if you're reading!) explained that her son was playing on the other team and that he had type I.
A woman in the stands must have overheard Arden because as we were bolusing for her pretzel, the woman began to tell me that she also wears the OmniPod. We spoke for some time about insulin pumps, type I and Arden's DexCom G4.
What does any of this have to do with Diabetes Blog Week?
Arden's Day will be six years old this summer, and my being published is in large part due to the fact that I write this blog. When I began blogging I never imagined that I'd be giving a woman insulin pump advice at a ball game, or that the concession mom in a town I've never visited before would make a point of stopping in here to see what was going on. I certainly never expected to be the author of a book. But yet, here I am and I have Diabetes Blog Week to thank.
A number of years ago, the first time that I wrote for DBW, I was under whelmed by the pieces that I produced. They seemed boring to me and repetitive. I hated that I didn't have a voice of my own. It felt like I was just dictating my experiences - the writing lacked personality, my personality. I almost let that feeling deter me from blogging, almost - but I really wanted to participate in blog week. It was then that I found the style that I have written in since. Today, I write the way that I speak, I follow the pentameter of my voice and tell stories that originate from the deepest and most private depths of my heart.
I really did almost stop writing this blog one day many years ago. Diabetes Blog Week kept me going.
This past week has been crazy around here. I've been learning how to budget my writing time better because I've accepted some freelance work (That I can't tell you about just yet - sorry), I'm trying to support my book release and there is talk of me making an appearance on TV. Busy, busy... in a good way but not in a way that allowed me to blog this week - which made me sad. I thought every day about DBW and felt terrible when I realized that I wouldn't have time to participate this year.
I hope that you have a great weekend, that you were able to check out lots of diabetes blogs this week and that something that you read or wrote for it... changes your life.
Mom’s Choice Awards® Gold Recipient
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Scott Benner’s Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal Honored with Mom’s Choice Award
May 16, 2013, Ann Arbor, MI
Author Scott Benner’s best-selling parenting book, Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal: Confessions of a Stay-at-Home Dad, has been named a 2013 recipient of the Gold distinction from Mom’s Choice Awards®.
Globally recognized for establishing the standard of excellence in family-friendly media, products and services, Mom’s Choice Awards® honored Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal as an outstanding book within its “Adult Books: Parenting—Contemporary Families” category. An esteemed panel of judges that includes industry leaders in education, publishing, parenting, the performing arts, science, and medicine evaluated the book based on its production quality, design, educational value, entertainment value, originality, appeal, and cost. Products that receive honors from Mom’s Choice Awards® help families grow emotionally, physically and spiritually; they are morally sound and promote good will; and they are inspirational and uplifting.
A pithy, modern parenting book written from the viewpoint of a seasoned stay-at-home father with an inspiring story and an irreverent sense of humor, Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal delivers both hilarity and perspective to readers everywhere. With a wide range of topics that anchor individual chapters (fatherhood, marriage, sex, gender roles, diabetes, laundry, “dropping the baby”), the book is an entertaining collection of stories about the mishaps and misadventures of parenting.
According to Library Journal, “[Benner] asserts the secret to happiness is to never stop and never give up … his unabashed “dad humor” brings a distinct charm to his writing without being mawkish or overly sentimental.” The NYC Dad’s Group declared, "Scott Benner’s book, Life is Short, Laundry is Eternal, is a book that proves that the family route is one that is paved with bumps and washed with tears, but filled with fun and love."
Through the lens of Scott Benner’s experiences, readers are reminded that the path to happiness is paved by figuring out how to turn life’s challenges into life’s rewards. Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal tells the story of an American family that has overcome an array of obstacles to discover peace and joy within their own home.
